Nov 20 (EN) SL apparel exporter Brandix has signed a joint venture agreement with Best Pacific of Hong Kong to produce synthetic fabric and webbing in the island with specific focus on warp knit synthetic fabric. The joint venture will be managed by Best Pacific, a global synthetic materials manufacturer. No financial details were disclosed. The agreement signed by the two companies in Colombo this week envisages the construction of a manufacturing facility in Pannala for the manufacture of more..

Nov 20 (DN) The phrase Sugar Tax is a misnomer in the Sri Lankan context, because Sri Lankan tax system will not witness an introduction of a new tax called Sugar Tax due to the budget proposals, said Tax Principal of KPMG Suresh R. I. Perera. He said that the charge on sugary beverages will be introduced in the form of Excise Duty. Perera who is also Chairman of the Tax Committee of the Bar Association added that the sweetened beverages will be imposed Excise Duty under more..

Nov 20 (DN) "The 2018 local govt elections will be held before Jan 31. The notice calling nominations would be made on Nov 27 and received them in December," Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera said. Addressing a meeting held in Yatiyana, Agalawatta in support of Rohana Galeboda, prospective UNP candidate for the Yatiyana in Agalwatta, he said a certain group was making a desperate attempt more..

Nov 20 (DN) Investors from seven countries will be in Colombo this month for the first Sri Lanka Economic and Investment Conclave. The business seminar will be held at the Kingsbury Hotel on November 28 and 29, and will focus on highlighting investment opportunities in Sri Lanka. Dr. Palitha Kohona, former Ambassador to the United Nations and Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will open the event. Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajith Coomaraswamy, more..

Nov 20 (DM) Advice would be sought from the Attorney General's Department with regard to the Northern Provincial Education Minister who had refused to hoist the national flag, Northern Province Governor Reginald Cooray said. He said this at a news briefing held today to announce the stance of the NPC in connection with this incident. Education Minister S. Sarveshwaran, who was the Chief Guest at a function, held at the Perakum Maha Vidyalaya in Irattaperiyakulam, more..

Nov 20 (DN) Ministry of Petroleum Resources Development requested the CID to immediately launch an investigation regarding false information being spread about fuel storage.  Minister Arjuna Ranatunga urged the public not to panic due to rumors and assured that there is no fuel shortage in the country. Minister Ranatunga said that three fuel shipments are to arrive within the next two weeks.  more..

Nov 20 (AD) Reports confirm that three persons were killed and one gravely injured following an accident between a train and a motor car at the Heendeniya-pattigoda railway crossing that occurred at 7.30am today.  The collision occurred when a motor car attempted to clear the unguarded railway crossing while a cargo-train transporting fuel towards Colombo was in close proximity to the junction. The injured person is currently receiving treatment at the Wathupitiwala hospital. more..

Nov 20 (PSL) Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah Al Nahyan paid called on President Maithripala Sirisena on November 18, at the Official Residence of the President in Colombo. The President expressed his satisfaction over the rapid growth of the relationship between the two countries. The areas of discussions included potential investments in sectors such as tourism, hospitality industry, aviation and airports. more..

Nov 20 (CI) Virat Kohli's 50th international century set up a fascinating conclusion to the Kolkata Test. It helped India declare at 352 for 8 and set Sri Lanka 231 to win at Eden Gardens. India's seamers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, then found conventional seam movement and reverse swing to leave Sri Lanka's middle order battling for survival in rapidly-fading light in a dramatic fifth-day finish. more..

Nov 20 (AD) Efforts are being made to postpone Local Govt Polls due to the crisis that had arisen within SLFP, alleged General Secretary of JVP Tilvin Silva. “It has been revealed that five out of six persons who filed a petition seeking the postponing of LG polls are all members of SLFP. It clearly shows political need they have to postpone the election” he alleged. Speaking further, he said that although all parties requested the court not to postpone the election SLFP is the only party more..

Nov 20 (LBO) Sri Lanka’s new Foreign Exchange Act No 12 of 2017 has come into effect from today. New Act covers matters including classes of capital transactions, opening and maintenance of accounts, permitted investments and granting of loans and advances. It also has provisions about capital transactions undertaken outside Sri Lanka by persons resident in Sri Lanka and capital transactions undertaken in Sri Lanka by persons resident outside Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 20 (DM) JO MP Udaya Gammanpila said the questioning of the PM before the PCoI by the Attorney General who was appointed to the post by the PM was a blow to the dignity of the AG's post. He told parliament that it was Senior Additional Solicitor General Dappula De Livera led the AG's team thus far and asked why PM was given a special privilege. "According to the clause 12 (1) of the constitution, everyone is more..

Nov 20 (AD) Govt Medical Faculty students will resume attending lectures from today Medical Faculty Student’s Action Committee (MFSAC) Convener Ryan Jayalath said. 6500 students of all eight Government Medical Faculties withdrew from their academics on January 01, as a mark of protest against SAITM. The students will attend their lectures as issue pertaining to SAITM was solved satisfactorily, Ryan Jayalath said. He said that the anti-SAITM protests carried out by more..

Nov 20 (NR) Minister Lakshman Kiriella today requested the Speaker of House to call a party leaders meeting to discuss phone calls of members of the COPE from the owner of Perpetual Treasuries Arjun Aloysius. Speaking in Parliament this morning he said Arjuna Aloysius contacted the members of COPE with the intention of influencing their decisions but to no avail. Minister added the COPE signed a unanimous recommendation report pertaining to the Treasury bond investigation more..

Nov 20 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena says that govt is committed to take forward the Sri Lankan health care service maintaining a high quality while updating the field of medical science which changes every second with the findings of the researches and innovations around the world. He said that the govt is ready to provide all the necessary facilities in this regard, addressing the Annual Academic Session 2017- College of more..

Nov 20 (SL) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is due to leave on an official visit to India tomorrow the PM’s office said. He will have a bilateral meeting with the Indian Premier Narendra Modi in New Delhi and will also call on the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind during his stay in New Delhi. Wickremesinghe will be taking part at the opening ceremony of the 5th Global Conference on Cyberspace to be held in The Aero City, New Delhi which the Prime Minister of India will inaugurate on 23rd. more..

Nov 20 (NR) Deputy Minister Ajith P Perera says he rejects having any telephone conversations with Arjuna Aloysius of Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. A letter was directed to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) through Attorney Manjula Balasuriya representing Deputy Minister. The Attorney stated that it has been alleged that telephone communication was limited to two calls between his client’s mobile phone and that of Aloysius – one incoming call and one outgoing call. more..

Nov 20 (USE) Governor Bogollagama, MP Moulana, teachers, staff and students, good afternoon and as-salamu alaykum.  I’m delighted to be here today to formally open this beautiful addition to the Bathuriya Vidyalaya school, and most importantly, to meet with some of the engaging young people who are studying here.  And let me thank the students who performed for us for their songs about unity and coexistence. more..

Nov 20 (Island) Most Venerable Anunayake of the Asgiriya Chapter Wendaruwe Sri Upali Thera said, at a religious event, at the Sri Dalada Maligawa, attended by the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, that President Rajapaksa had not been defeated. Instead, he had been allowed to relax and take over the reins of govt in the future, the prelate said. The Thera said the people now felt the need for Rajapaksa as the leader more than ever before. Ven. Sri Upali Anunayake Thera said more..

Nov 20 (AD) Sri Lankan bodybuilder Lucion Pushparaj accused the Sri Lanka Body Building Federation of attempting to prevent him from representing the island nation at an international bodybuilding event scheduled to be held in USA. Pushparaj, who won gold at 51st Asian Body Building and Physiques Sports Championship held in South Korea recently, has been invited to represent SL at the Mr & Ms Atlas and Fitness Expo at Arlington Convention Center, USA. more..

Nov 20 (CB) Coach Nic Pothas, who had compared the Indian cricket team to the rugby world champions All Blacks after his side's nine straight losses to them at home, now believes back-to-back series against the world's number one ranked Test team will make his side tougher. India came within 3 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three match series against the tourists, but bad light forced an early end to play helping SL salvage a draw. more..

Nov 21 (CT) UNP efforts to intimidate the Bond Commission bring back memories of their attack on the homes of Supreme Court judges in 1983. A full account was most recently presented by Rajan Hoole, recording the active involvement of Ranil Wickremesinghe in the exercise. After the Court had found that the Kollupitiya police had violated the fundamental rights of Vivienne Goonewardene, the govt promptly promoted the guilty officer and paid the fine. Then it demonstrated against more..

Nov 21 (CT) The govt took decisive action to put the lid on escalating inter ethnic violence between Sinhalese and Muslims in Gintota over the weekend which led to damage to a large number of homes, businesses and buildings estimated to be close to a hundred. The govt actions included sending in police battalions, the police paramilitary Special Task Force and anti-riot squad and the military and a visit to the area by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. As a result a conflagration on the scale of more..

Nov 21 (SO) It is a week after the petrol crisis that plagued the country into a state of temporary paralysis. In the immediate aftermath, many questions remain as to the cause of the crisis. Also, it has prompted the energy security of the country. Petrol crisis emerged due to several reasons, including the rejection of a petrol consignment imported for LIOC, on Oct 17, since the consignment failed to meet gasoline import specification more..

Nov 21 (ST) So now we know, don’t we! As winter approaches and the temperatures drop in Europe Dr. Harsha de Silva tells a gathering of states in Geneva that promoting and protecting human rights cannot be done overnight. For sheer brilliance he deserves a whole bag of coconuts. Either that or the climate is beginning to affect him. If that were all one might have forgiven Dr. de Silva for dipping into his reserve of platitudes and spilling them all over the assembly floor. more..

Nov 21 (ST) The financial objectives of the 2018 budget are to reduce the fiscal deficit, increase revenue and move towards a more progressive system of taxation. It also attempts to reduce the massive debt servicing burden. Trade liberalisation to expand exports and strengthen the current account of the balance of payments is also an important thrust of the fiscal proposals. All these objectives are vitally important for economic stability. The broader and longer term economic and more..

Nov 21 (CT) For a significant number of Sri Lankans the most important budget proposals are those governing the prices of motor vehicles. Ceylon Today met with Ranjan Peiris, the President of the Vehicle Importers Association of Sri Lanka (VIASL) to discuss how the Budget will affect the vehicle market. Q: First of all tell us your opinion on the impact of the Budget on motor vehicles? A: There were many positives in the Budget. more..

Nov 21 (CT) Northern Province Education Minister Arumugam Kandiah Sarveswaran's refusal to hoist the national flag at a school function in Vavuniya, in which he was the chief guest, sent shock waves not only to South, but also among the moderate Tamil community throughout the country. It was reported that Sarveswaran, brother of EPRLF leader Suresh Premachandran, refused to raise the Sri Lankan flag and the principal of the school had to make other arrangements to honour the national flag. more..

Nov 21 (DN) This piece is written at a time of debate on the new Constitution, Universal Periodic Review of the Sri Lanka at the UN in Geneva and a sense of fatigue on efforts to promote peace. Segments of the Reconciliation Policy approved by Cabinet earlier this year and extracts of elements of Monitoring and Evaluating efforts presented by Secretary to the Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation are featured. Proactively espouse the values of equality, inclusion and more..

Nov 21 (Island) There are many Sri Lankans who evince a fetishistic interest in George Orwell’s immortal works. They may wonder whether the literary genius had a premonitory vision of the future of a tiny, teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean, when he authored the dystopian, allegorical novella, The Animal Farm, in the early 1940s though it is popularly thought to be about the Stalinist Russia. For, post-2015 situation in that resplendent isle, where every prospect pleases more..

Nov 21 (FT) Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy, B.M.S. Batagoda, is to submit a Cabinet proposal seeking a Cabinet decision on policy directions to resolve the conflict between CEB and Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL).  Batagoda said that both the CEB and PUSCL have been clashing, especially with regards to the implementation of long term-power generation plans. “We want a Cabinet decision on what are the policies that must be followed by the CEB. more..

Nov 21 (CI) India are likely to play the final two Tests of the Sri Lanka series on pitches helpful for fast bowlers as preparation for the forthcoming South Africa tour, which starts on January 5 in Cape Town. Second Test of the Sri Lanka series will be played from Nov 24 in Nagpur, and the final Test in Delhi from Dec 2. During the Australia ODI series in September, the Indian team management, led by coach Ravi Shastri, spoke to concerned officials in the BCCI and stated that more..

Nov 21 (Island) People are becoming furiouser and furiouser wrote a columnist with reference amongst other reasons to the uproar over the petrol shortage which lasted around five days or little more last week. Was it the actual shortage that produced the uproar/crisis or the selfishness of our people? My reading is that too often Sri Lankans tend to overreact to unexpected situations. In this instance also people over reacted and wanted to get what they could of what was available without more..

Nov 21 (EN) Standard and Poor's, has lifted the outlook on Sri Lanka's B+ rating to negative from stable as the country raised taxes to pay for salary and subsidy hikes in 2015, leaving behind a balance of payments crisis. "The stable outlook reflects our expectation that the govt will maintain the reform momentum over the next 12 months and smooth the upcoming surge in debt redemptions, particularly in 2019," the rating agency said. more..

Nov 21 (DN) Sri Lanka-India FTA structure is changing fast and there is a trend that more Sri Lankan products are entering the Indian market, said former Secretary, Minister of Finance, India, Dr. S Narayan. Speaking at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute on the subject of India-SL economic relations in Modi’s India, he said that the trade balance is now shifting towards SL’s favour, from 9 to 1 three years ago to 6 to 1, recently. The total bilateral trade volume was US$4.7 billion. more..

Nov 21 (Island) Sri Lanka Telecom released the financial statements of the Company and Group for the 9 months ending 30th Sept 2017. The group comprises of nine subsidiaries including mobile arm Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd as well as E-Channeling (Pvt) Ltd which is a subsidiary of Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd. During the nine month period ending 30th Sept, the Group reported a revenue of Rs. 56.4bn with year on year growth of 1.3%. The marginal increase of mobile related revenues mainly due to tax increases more..

Nov 21 (DM) The PCoI Chairman Justice K.T Chithrasiri reading out a statement prior to PM Ranil Wickremesinghe's evidence said the Attorney General was requested to be present at the Commission to lead the team of officials of the AG's Department. “We wish to thank the Hon. AG for, at our request, appearing before us today and leading his team of officers. This Commission of Inquiry made that request to the Hon. AG more..

Nov 21 (CT) The GCE O/L Examination will commence on 12 Dec and conclude on 21 Dec, the Department of Examinations said. The candidates will first sit for the religion paper on 12 Dec and then face the language paper on 13 Dec. The history paper will be on 14 Dec. The science paper will be on 16 December followed by the mathematics paper on 18 Dec. On 19 Dec the students will be tested on aesthetic subjects, followed by the English Language paper on 21 Dec. more..